What Is In a Name?

In biblical times, a person's name represented their character. We see God changing the names of several people throughout the Old Testament when He was about to make a change in their life. But, what about God's name? We know His is our Father, but what other attributes does God have?

 

                    Elohim                       

This is the name of God first used in scripture. This is the name used for God as Creator, and is used the most throughout scripture.

 

El means strong or mighty, and is used in reference to all gods, including the Almighty God. 

 

him is a plural ending that means more than one

 

(Deut. 6:4 The Father, Son and Spirit are one.)

 

This is God, our creator and maker, represented first in Genesis 1:1.



 

El Elyon



This name for God is our strength, sovereignty, and stability. This name means the Most High. This the name in which sovereignty exists. In the passage of Abram defeating the kings in Genesis 14 is where we meet The Most High. This is where we meet Melchizedek, king of Salem, who was the priest of the Most High God. So, out of the sovereignty of God is where Jesus, our high priest, comes from.

 

                                                    El Roi

This is the name of for God who sees. When Hagar runs away from Sarai, this is the aspect of God that finds her in the desert and tells her to return to Sarai and submit herself. God does not sleep, and His eyes are not shut. He is not blinded to our needs, and supplies them in due time.

 

Baruch Haba Adonai

This name refers to the name of God when we submit our will to His, making Him Lord and Master over us. It is the name of God that we acknowledge when we give ourselves over to Him completely, giving Him absolute rule and reign in our lives.

El Shaddai

Shaddai means breasted, coming from the Hebrew word shad that means the breast. This is the name of God that says He will feed you, whether it be physically or spiritually. This is where the life and nourishment comes from. This is the aspect of God that sustains us, especially when our 'supplies' are diminished.

                                                    Yahweh/YHWH

This is the name used most frequently in the Old Testament. The Latinized version is Jehovah. It comes from the Hebrew word that means to be, or become. This is the God that always has been and aways will be. This is the I AM THAT I AM that was revealed to Moses in Exodus 3:14. This is the Alpha and Omega, the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

                                             Jehovah - Jireh

This is name that Abraham gave to God when he provided the ram caught in the bush, to be sacrificed in place of his son Isaac. This is the name we call on when we are in a place of desperation, and our need can only be met through divine intervention.

                                         Jehovah - Rapha

This is the name of The Lord Who Heals. Gilead was a city in Judah known for its healing ointment. It had both medicinal and cosmetic values. Jeremiah proclaimed that there was no balm in Gilead. He asked the question "Was there no physician there?" No doubt this name could be applied to Jesus as he went about the countrysides healing people as he went.

                                          Jehovah - Nissi

This is the name we proclaim when we hold the Lord up for all to see. The meaning, The Lord is Our Banner, is easily understood in military language. In the heat of battle, the soldiers knew to keep fighting as long they could see the banner of their king raised high above the fray. Jesus says "If I be lifted up (like a banner) I will draw all men to me."

                                    Jehovah - M'Kaddesh

The Lord Who Sanctifies. This is the name of God that sets us apart as one of His in the world. This is the name we use to recognize who our personal father is. This name says to us 'You belong to me.' 

                                        Jehovah - Shalom


The Lord is Peace. This is the name we call on when we are troubled, and nothing but His calming touch will bring contentment. Jesus said 'Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you...In the world you will have tribulation; but take courage; I have overcome the world.' John 14:27a, 16:33b 

                                       Jehovah - Sabaoth


This is the name we call out when we have come to a place where we can go no further, and must have deliverance to survive. This is the name that Hannah cried out when praying for a son; when her mouth moved but she uttered no words. She had come to the end of her endurance, and is described as a woman greatly distressed and oppressed in spirit. This is the name to call on when there is no other help, and our own perspective and resources do not apply anymore.

                                           Jehovah - Raah


The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not (be in) want. Coming from David, a shepherd himself, he understood the name better than anyone else. As a shepherd, God is leader, protector, and provider of rest. The name is the aspect of God that looks after our well-being and makes sure we are not devoured by the enemy. Also, as shepherd, this is the part of God that comes to find us if we go astray.

                                       Jehovah - Tsidkenu

This name is The Lord of Our Righteousness. This is the name of God to call on when we feel hopeless. When we think we have gone past the place of forgiveness, never to be in God's good graces. It is clear that, as human beings, we cannot attain righteousness on our own. It is a gift of God, and comes as a new heart He created within us when we accept Jesus into our lives as Lord and Savior.

                                      Jehovah - Shammah

This name means The Lord is There. This is the Lord of the future. The place of the unknown for us, but all known to Him. A quote applies here: Do not worry about tomorrow, for God is already there.

In all these names we find different aspects of God but, ultimately, they all make up His character. 

(This is not an exhaustive list, but covers most names of God found in scripture.)